


Daisies & Arrows

by Kat92



Category: Lost, Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, It's basically just fluff and feels, and to torture my friends, not much of a plotline, written for my own enjoyment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-10-08 00:01:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10372947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat92/pseuds/Kat92
Summary: Basically, Juliet and Robin are brother and sister. Robin is a fire fighter and works with James. Juliet and Regina went to college together. Robin and Regina have basically been in love since they were in their twenties. And they are now all in their late 30's early 40's. Juliet and James are only just getting to know each other. So they all have a past, all have things to deal with.So lots of things to keep track of.Enjoy! xD





	1. Chapter 1

Normally they sit outside for their Sunday dinners. But today they unanimously agreed that it had finally gotten too cold. Sitting outside on long summer nights have been lovely, but Juliet has to admit that she likes sitting inside just as much. Maybe not so much right now, but as soon as they get rainy and stormy nights, she will love sitting indoors, drinking wine, talking, and watching the candles burn down low before they finally agree to call it a night.

 

When she moved into this house, Juliet wasn’t sure she would be a very social part of the neighborhood. Most of the other houses in the neighborhood were occupied by families. And she was just a single mom to be. And it turned out as she thought it would. Most of her neighbors she only knows by name. Not because she’s not social, but more because she is a very busy person. But in the years that have passed, she has grown very close to Penny and Desmond, the friendly couple that lives next door. How could she not? With the countless number of times, they’ve done babysitting for each other and borrowed so many cups of flour, milk, and sugar, that Juliet lost track of who owed who what, years ago. Not that it matters. They’re like family to her and she would gladly give them all her flour if they were ever in need.

 

This is why they meet up every Sunday, alternating houses each time unless something gets in the way. This Sunday it’s Juliet and Robin’s turn. For their first indoor meal of the season, Juliet couldn’t resist doing a roast and just have the whole house smell like a roast for most of the day. It turns out it was a bit too soon to do that. It’s just not cold enough outside, to justify it, and an hour before dinner time, the smell of roast is getting to be way too much, for the still relatively warm weather. To make up for it, Juliet abandons the idea of oven roasted potatoes and makes a cold pasta salad instead. Along with a few other vegetable side dishes.

 

It goes down easily, like it always does, along with wine, laughter, and talk. Penny talks to Maddie about the paper she handed in that Friday, while Robin and Desmond are discussing something to do with politics. Juliet isn’t really interested in that, so she listens to Roland and Charlie talk excitedly about their friends from preschool, and what they are going to play tomorrow. There are just about 5 months between the two boys, but with the way they spend almost every day together, you would think that they were twins.

 

The talk goes on and on, while the main leaves the table in favor of the dessert. And after that, the boys leave the table to go and play in Roland’s room, while Maddie leaves with the excuse of homework. Although Juliet suspects it’s Netflix or her friends, her daughter is really spending her time on. But it is Sunday night and she really can’t bring herself to remind the teenager, that there is school tomorrow. Maddie is more than responsible enough to keep track of her homework.

 

“So there I am, five minutes away from saying fuck it, and setting it on fire,” Robin tells his story, gesturing with his arms, showing off how he has had just a bit too much wine. “And then Juliet walks in, points out one tiny mistake I’ve made in my equations, and suddenly it all makes sense... For an hour I’ve been staring at this mess of number, and she takes one look at it and fixes it all.” He chuckles, taking another sip of wine, while Juliet smiles, slightly embarrassed from behind her own glass. Partly embarrassed, partly flattered, because she knows the point he’s trying to prove. “She’s the brain in the family, no matter how much she tries to deny it” Robin continues, receiving a roll of Juliet’s eyes, as the only reply. Normally one of Robin’s arguments for this point is that she went to college and has a Ph.D. in literature, whereas he never went to college. He hasn’t brought up this point tonight though, maybe because he knows that Juliet would shoot him down like she always does. Just because he doesn’t have a Ph.D., doesn’t mean it’s because he can’t do it. It just wasn’t the path he wanted to take. And Juliet is quite convinced that if he would, Robin could easily get a degree.  
She loves her younger brother to the moon and back, but she has never done too well, with being the center of attention. The only reason that she’s not turning red, is because she’s among friends, who all know her very well.

 

“If I’m the brain, then you’re definitely the brawn,” She says instead.

 

“Aye, that he is” Desmond agrees. “Remember when we redid our kitchen, you had to hold up those cupboards for so long, because the wall is almost solid brick. We finished in record time because of you” Desmond smiles, leaning back in his char, with an arm around Penny, who’s resting her head on his shoulder.

 

“You would have gotten them up without me too, I’m sure” Robin replies, but looks more than happy, to receive the compliment.

 

“Not bloody likely” Penny chirps back, looking like she’s half asleep, against Desmond’s shoulder. Looks like there’s another one who has had too much wine. Stretching, she sits up and looks at Desmond. “We should get going” He looks up at the clock on the mantle, before nodding. It’s nearing 11 pm, Juliet didn’t realize so much time had passed. The past few dinners, they sat outside and just went home when it got too cold. Now the time passes without any changes in temperature, so they can lose track of it. Which is not always a good thing.

 

They all rise, more or less at the same time, Penny and Robin to clear away the last plates, and Juliet and Desmond, to go find the boys. It’s not very good parenting to let the boys stay up this late. But when the noise from Roland’s room died down, they went up to check on them and found them asleep. Once they were safely tucked into Roland’s bed, the parents carried on talking downstairs.

 

Desmond carefully lifts Charlie up into his arms, as Juliet clears away a few toys, so there is a clear path, for tomorrow morning. There’s no worse way to start the day than to step barefooted on plastic toys. “They had fun” Juliet smiles, as she turns on Roland’s nightlight and leaves the door ajar before they head towards the stairs.

 

“They always do” Desmond replies softly. Juliet smiles and nods, before they descended the stairs. She is glad that the boys get along so well, it’s a thing that brings much joy to both families and makes the bond between them even stronger. When they arrive in the hallway, they say their hushed goodnights, before Desmond and Penny slip out the door with a sleeping Charlie.

 

Juliet and Robin spend a couple of minutes, loading whatever they can, into the dishwasher and clearing away the last few things before they say goodnight and Robin head into the upstairs bathroom. It’ll be a while before Juliet can get in there, so she goes up into the attic, to see if Maddie has gone to bed yet.  
It was a thing of necessity, moving Maddie to the attic, but she had been quite happy to move there. When Robin had first moved back in, with a baby Roland in tow, it hadn’t been a happy occasion. Marian, Robin’s wife, had died in childbirth, and he was absolutely heartbroken. Plus it meant he was alone with a little baby Roland.

 

Like Robin had helped Juliet, when she first had Maddie, she stepped up to help him. He moved back in and had time to mourn the loss of his wife, while she helped him take care of his son. But it was obvious that Roland would need his own room, both for Roland and for Robin’s sake. But things were getting a bit cramped in the house, so they talked about turning the attic into a bedroom. It would take some work, but Robin was quite willing to do it, to take his mind off everything else.

 

Maddie has had that room since she loves the room. Which they had decorated just how she wanted it, at the time. It was quite a big room, compared to her old one, so it was natural that she should have it.

 

Juliet treads carefully as she walks up the steps to the attic because she knows how it creaks in some places. The room is dimly lit, when she gets far enough up the steps, Juliet can see that it is Maddie’s bedside lamp that is on. She’s under the covers, but is still awake, reading. Knocking on the banister, that separates her room from the stairs, Juliet smiles softly as Maddie looks up from her book. “Can I come in?”

 

“Yeah” Maddie nods, putting the bookmark back in the book and closes it.

 

Juliet crosses the carpeted floor and climbs into Maddie’s big bed, with the swirly-patterned headboard. She stays on top of the covers but crawls up to sit so she can lean against the headboard and Maddie, although Maddie is more lying down, than sitting up. She smiles in that indulgent way, that shows that this is something Juliet likes to do, often, especially at night. It was how they did storytime when it was just her and Maddie in their house. Juliet remembers having read Maddie so many stories. Everything from The cat in the hat, to The Hobbit and Lord of the rings. It can’t be said that being a literature professor, doesn’t have its benefits. Being able to pass on your love for books, is definitely one of them.

 

“Are you ready for tomorrow?”

 

Maddie nods, stirring her blonde locks, mixing them with Juliet’s own. It’s almost impossible to tell the difference between them now, although Maddie’s are still a bit lighter in color than Juliet’s. “I have a test in Biology on Thursday”

 

“Do you need any help with it?” Juliet asks, looking at her daughter. She has only just started high school, about 3 weeks ago. But apparently, they don’t waste any time, giving the students assignments and tests, right away. She admires Maddie for not stressing about it, any more than she does. Juliet probably would have, had she been in her place.

 

“I’m gonna study for it with Lisa on Wednesday, at her place. I already asked Rob if he would pick me up after his shift.”

 

Juliet nods, making a mental note of it. “Okay... Everything’s under control then?”

 

“Yup,” Maddie smiles, once again surprising Juliet with just how mature she is for her age. She’s fourteen, she should be rebelling and fighting her. But instead she’s a good student, with good friends, and she helps out at home too. Juliet could not be more proud of her if she tried. Turning her face, Juliet presses a kiss to Maddie’s brow.

 

“I’m here if you need me”

 

“I know” Maddie turns and meets her mother’s waiting arms. They share a long warm hug before Juliet leans back a bit and kisses her daughter again, this time on the cheek.

 

“We should get some sleep,” Juliet says before she sits up on the bed and scoots to the edge of it.

 

“Mom?” Juliet stops and turns, still sitting on the bed. “There’s this.. party next Saturday. I know I said I would go to Rob’s fundraiser. But everybody’s going and.. fundraisers are so boring”

 

Juliet smiles a bit, “I know.. but it’s important to Robin”

 

“But do _I_ really need to be there? I mean, Roland isn’t even going, why do I have to?”

 

“To keep me company?” Juliet tries, knowing that it’s a pathetic excuse. But like Maddie, she knows that most of the people at fundraisers are rich old people. Some are interesting, yes. But most of them are painfully dull. And just as much as it is on Robin and all other firefighters, to get people to donate, it is also her job. Even if it is only because she wants to help. Besides, she knows she is good at smiling and laughing, and pretend to find other people interesting, even if she doesn’t. So she can help to get people to donate the money, that Robin’s fire department so desperately needs.  
And he does the same for her when the university is having balls and things like that. It goes both ways, so Juliet knows she has to go, but it’s not really her favorite thing to do.

 

 _“Moooom!”_ Maddie laughs, crawling on top of the covers and over to sit next to her. “Please?”

 

“Will Thomas be at the party?” Juliet asks, smiling knowingly at her blushing daughter. She has been talking about him for weeks now. Not constantly, but she has mentioned him more than any other boy, and she has this special smile on her face when she does. Juliet isn’t blind, she knows what’s going on.

 

“Yes,” Maddie answers quietly, looking at the sheets and brushing some blonde locks behind her ear. It’s Juliet’s signature move when she’s insecure.

 

Juliet smiles, “And there will be parents present at this party?”

 

Maddie nods, looking up at her. “It’s at Alex’s place. Her mom will be there”

 

Juliet nods again, she knows Alex and her mother. Alex is a good girl, like Maddie, responsible. “I’ll talk to Robin, I’m sure it’ll be fine” Juliet knows that next Saturday night will be all the longer, without Maddie there. But she can’t force Maddie to be there. And frankly, if Juliet had a way to get out of it, she would probably use it.

 

Maddie lights up with a smile and Juliet is almost convinced that her boring Saturday night will be worth it if it makes Maddie this happy. “Thank you” She grins and hugs her mother.

 

Juliet hugs her close, “You’re welcome.” When she backs away with a kiss to Maddie’s temple, they’re both smiling. “Now – bedtime”

 

“Right .. Night mom” Maddie smiles at her mother before she crawls back under the covers.

 

“Goodnight sweetheart” Juliet gets off the bed and walks back downstairs, eager to get to bed and get some sleep.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Mornings always come with stress and rush. It doesn’t matter how early they get up, things still end up stressed. Even when Robin gets up before everyone else because he has to be at work at 7, for the early shift. Juliet knows he tries to leave the kitchen without a mess and with the coffee on so that she doesn’t have to worry about that. Robin sets the table and makes lunches before he rushes out the door. That way he hopes mornings are easier for Juliet when she’s alone with the kids.

 

But in all his rush of the morning, he forgot to grab his own lunch. Juliet sees when she stumbles into the kitchen. They have food at the station of course, but all of the firemen are men. Meaning they eat a lot, but don’t know what it means to restock a fridge. So Robin tries to always bring something. But today he didn’t.

 

With a light sigh, Juliet pours herself a cup of coffee, silently thanking Robin for at least remembering to put the coffee on. It’s not that he’s easily distracted, but sometimes he does forget. He is human after all. She takes a long sip of coffee, before she heads back up the stairs, to check on Maddie first. Glad to find that she’s already awake, Juliet heads to Roland’s room. Opening the door does nothing to stir the small boy, neither does sitting on the edge of his bed.

 

“Roland?” She calls softly, dragging the covers off of his shoulders, so she can run her hand up and down his back, slowly waking him. “It’s time to wake up sweetie.” The little boy stirs, as Juliet runs her hand through his curls. He turns his head and brings a hand up to rub at his eye, before blinking both open.  
“Come on sweetheart” Juliet bends down and kisses his forehead, before she gets up from the bed and goes over to the closet, to pick out some clothes for him to wear.

 

“Can I wear monster truck?” His small groggy voice asks from the bed.

 

Juliet smiles, looking back at him, “Of course you can” When she turns back to the closet, she soon hears the moving of sheets and the shuffle of small, bare, feet against the floor, before she feels Roland’s arms wrapping around her leg. He is slow to wake up, something that Juliet loves about him. In the moments just after waking up, he is extra cuddly and Juliet is always open for cuddles. Running a hand through his soft curls, Juliet picks out a pair of shorts to go with the monster truck t-shirt.

 

“Did you have a good sleep?” He doesn’t reply, but she feels him nod against her hip. She just smiles, humming softly, still running her free hand through his hair. After a moment or two, she picks him up to rest against her hip, before grabbing the clothes and heading for the bathroom.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

A couple of hours later, Juliet has dropped off Maddie, as well as Charlie and Roland. Since the boys go to the same preschool, they take turns to drop off and pick up the boys. Juliet has dropped them off, which means either Desmond or Penny will pick them up this afternoon.  
Now, with Robin’s lunch in hand, she heads into the fire department. She steps through one of the garage doors, not seeing anyone there, at first. “Hello?”  
She is not a stranger here, she knows everyone Robin works with, but it isn’t her territory and she doesn’t just want to walk in, although she knows it would be perfectly fine, for her to do so.

 

“Hey”

 

Juliet jumps a bit at the sudden noise, before she spots James, stepping out from behind one of the fire trucks. “God, you scared me” She smiles, with a hand on her chest and a light shake of her head.

 

“Sorry” He smiles back, wiping his hands in a discolored towel. Juliet knows that he has a lot of experience as a mechanic and it’s something the fire department has been taking advantage of, since he joined the team, about 10 months ago. So she figures he has been doing some work on one of the trucks. “What can I do for you today?” He asks, stepping closer, eyes never leaving her. She can’t help but look him over, as he approaches.

 

James is taller than her, but not terribly so. He has broad shoulders and as far as she can tell, a lot of muscles, under his coveralls. Which she may or may not have enjoyed getting the chance to ogle, over the summer. His hair is long and most days it hangs down into his eyes, but today he has tied it into a tiny ponytail at the back of his head. Leaving his stubbles, strong jaw, and green eyes, free for her to admire.  
Yes, so Juliet has a crush on him. He isn’t the first firefighter, and who wouldn’t fancy one of them at one point or another?

 

Before she loses herself completely, Juliet snaps out of her daydream and remembers why she’s here. “Robin forgot his lunch” She holds it up as if she needs proof.

 

“You just missed him” James comes to a stop in front of her, still wiping his hands. “He went out to get supplies for the fridge”

 

Juliet rolls her eyes a bit, it seems she has come all this way for nothing. “Typical” She’s still smiling though. It’s not really something to get upset over. “I don’t suppose you would want this?” She opens up the container, as James leans over to take a peak.

 

“Tempting... But Robin said something about tacos”

 

“You’re no help” She jokes with another smile, before closing the container again. “I suppose this will be my lunch then. It’ll save me a trip to the cafeteria”

 

“Oh, you poor highly-paid professor” James mocks, grinning at her.

 

“It’s not as easy as it sounds” She plays along.

 

“I’m sure you do it brilliantly”

 

Her smile grows at that “I do my best”

 

For a moment he just looks at her, with an easy smile on his lips, before he stands up straight. “I should be getting back”

 

“Yeah I should get going too”

 

“I’ll tell Robin you stopped by” He starts backing up towards the truck and Juliet finds herself mirroring him, although she is heading towards the door, not the truck.

 

“Give him a hard time for it, okay?”

 

“You got it”

 

Juliet grins before she turns and heads back out the garage door.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Locking herself into her new, furnished, apartment, is an odd feeling. It’s a foreign place, one she has only seen pictures of before today. It isn’t the ideal way to rent an apartment, but needs must. Anyway, she is here and that’s the most important thing.

 

She steps into the apartment, heels clicking loudly against the wooden floor, echoing in the room that desperately needs more decorating. Furnished apparently doesn’t mean decorated. But just that there’s a couch and a bed. The most needed things. Well, to her standards anyway. Regina is planning on redecorating it, as soon as her things arrive and she gets over this jetlag. Her budget isn’t big, most of it was spent on this apartment. But she can at least get some things, to make her feel more at home. There are a few pictures among the things she shipped from her previous home. Things she hopes she can bear to look at.

 

It’s why she let Daniel keep most of their things when they divorced. He got the house and Regina couldn’t imagine herself taking their things, but not the house. So she only took things like pictures and books, knickknacks, things like that. Memories, but only a few of Daniel. As strong as their marriage had been, it had ended quickly. Far quicker than she thought it could and she is very much still recovering.

 

Regina parks her suitcase at the door, closing it behind her before she kicks off her heels and walks into the apartment. She’s tired, no, exhausted. The thought of starting her life all over again, on its own is exhausting. Add jetlag, heartache, and longing, and that’s how Regina feels. She sits, almost collapses on the couch, looking around as she sits. The apartment isn’t empty, not physically. But it lacks all the things that make a home, a home. Right now, all Regina needs is to feel like she’s home, after everything, that was what she needed Washington to be. But this doesn’t feel like home, not even close.

 

If she had the energy, she would go visit her dad. A hug from him, would make everything okay, or at least better than it is. But as tired as she is, all she can really think of doing is to go to sleep on this couch and hope she will feel better in the morning.

 

During this process of moving back to DC, Regina can’t help but think back to when she moved away from here, 20 years ago. How she had packed up her belongings and driven across the country, to get to LA. But not before Robing had shown up at her door, begging her not to go.

 

_The last box is barely packed before a knock at the door, takes her away from finishing it._

_“Robin” When she had seen him at her bon voyage party, he had seemed fine, almost happy for her. But the look on his face, when she opened the door, is completely different._

_“Don’t go.. Don’t go to LA... Please”_

_It had to come to this, sooner or later. One of them had to say something, before their paths are separated, perhaps for good. Regina steps back, letting him into the apartment. But she doesn’t get to say anything before Robin speaks again._

_“Don’t go. Stay with me, leave Daniel, be with me” His blue eyes are pleading, as he backs her up against a wall. She could step away if she wanted to, she knows this. And yet she stays put._

_“Robin, don’t. I love Daniel”_

_“But don’t you love me too?” His voice rises in volume. He is frustrated she guesses, and rightly so._

_“I..” Robin takes a step closer, basically pressing himself against her, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t make me choose”_

_“But you are – You’re choosing him” He pleads. They’ve never been a couple and yet this feels like something ending. Like Regina leaving is the end of them. The end of something that never even began._

_“Robin” She whispers, reaching up to cup his chin. All the while fighting the tears that are forming in her eyes. It doesn’t help that Robin’s eyes are already overflowing. Wiping his cheek with her thumb, she shakes her head. “Choosing him, doesn’t mean I’m rejecting you” It might feel that way, for the both of them. But she isn’t rejecting him because she can’t do that. “It’s just..”_

_“Bad timing” He finishes for her, with a heavy sigh, leaning his forehead against hers._

_Regina sniffles, giving up on holding back the tears as she says “I’ll miss you” voice heavy with emotion, shaking with it.  
_ _Apparently, Robin gives up too, as he lets out a sob and wraps his arms tightly around her, burying his head at her neck. She hides hers as well and clings to him, as he clings to her._

_“I’ll miss you too,” She thought her voice was emotional, but it’s basically normal, compared to his. He sounds heartbroken, and it doesn’t make this any easier.  
_ _"Does he make you happy?” Robin asks, after a while, when their breaths have returned to normal, and their grip on each other has slackened a bit._

_Regina moves her head, to rest her chin on his shoulder. So she doesn’t have to look at him, as she says “He does... I love him, Robin”_

_“I know” His voice is quiet as he leans his head against hers, seemingly not quite ready to let go yet._

_“I’m sorry, I never meant for things to be .. like this”_

_“Neither of us did” Her arms finally go slack around her, as he leans back, hands tracing down her arms, to take her hands. “Just .. take care of yourself” He lifts a hand to move a lock of her hair, behind her ear. “I won’t be there for Sunday lunches, or midnight feasts when you’re panicking over exams.. So just..” He stops and looks at her, brow furrowed, thinking god knows what. Before she can stop him (Well, that’s not true, she could if she would, but she doesn’t), he leans in and captures her lips, in what can only be described as desperation. Both his hands find their way to her hair, holding her close._

_Regina kisses him back, she knows she shouldn’t, knows she shouldn’t even want to. But this is Robin, her best friend, although they both know, they’re much more than that. Leaving him is going to be like leaving behind a part of herself. She loves Daniel and wants to be with him, but this is so hard. And it’s scary. She’s moving across the country for a guy, away from everything she knows. And part of her can’t help but wonder if she’s making a mistake. The pain of leaving Robin and her home makes staying awfully attractive.  
_ _She’s desperate to stay with Robin, to keep this kind of intimacy in her life. To have this person who knows what she’s feeling, just by looking at her. Daniel knows her, but not like Robin does. Robin has been her person all through college, the one she called when the shit was really hitting the fan. Always the one she turned to. And now she is leaving him. It hurts, more than she had thought it would. So she kisses him back, grabs a tight hold of his shirt and holds him close to her, while their lips tangle with each other like their lives depend on it._

_“Promise me you’ll be okay” He whispers when they part, foreheads pressed together._

 

Well, she’s not is she? Not now, hasn’t been for a while. She is glad to be back, in a way. Not because she wants to get together with Robin. It’s been 20 years since they lived in the same city. Only seeing each other, at special events. Like weddings or funerals. He could be a completely different man now. But she knows that she misses the boy she knew. That boy she would willingly risk her already broken heart for. But he might not even exist anymore.  
She is glad to be home though, and nearer the people she loves, like her dad and Mary. It feels like things might get better here. Like LA was just some kind of nightmare and now she has woken up. 20 years later, but at least she’s awake now. That’s a start.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The much-anticipated fundraiser arrives too soon, for James’ liking. Spending the night in a tuxedo isn’t exactly his idea of a good time. But he has to admit that he’s looking forward to seeing Juliet in a dress. Not that he hasn’t yet. There was the occasional summer dress when the weather was still warm enough for that. But that’s not quite the same as a dress for an event, such as this.

 

Unfortunately, they are seated far from each other, during the dinner. He only gets short glimpses of her. And before dessert, he is called away, because the people who were supposed to wash the dishes, left before they should, and there weren’t enough clean plates for the dessert. Still being the newbie at the station, it fell to James to take care of the problem.

 

He has been washing plates for about 15 minutes when he is interrupted by the sound of approaching high heels. Turning around, he can’t help but smile, when he gets the first real look of Juliet in her midnight-blue dress. She looks gorgeous, she always does of course. But with her hair up, fastened at the back of her head, like that, and with the dark dress, hugging her curves from her shoulders to her hips, and then continuing down to her feet, it’s completely on another level. “Come to join the real party?” he asks, holding up a soapy plate.

 

“Robin told me you were out here. It didn’t seem fair to let you have all the fun to yourself” she leaves her purse at the same table, where he put the jacket of his tuxedo.

 

“You don’t have to – really. I’ll be done in no time” She’s dressed up for a party, looking like a million bucks, she shouldn’t be stuck out here with him.

 

“And you’ll be done twice as fast if I help” She just says, blue eyes on him, as she steps up to him, snatching the dish towel from his shoulder. Without another word, she starts picking up and drying off the dishes. After a while in silence, with the occasional caterer coming in to refill a tray, Juliet speaks up. “Besides.. there’s this slightly creepy guy out there. I could use a break”

 

“Creepy?” James straightens for a moment, immediately ready to punch whoever it is. But when he realizes it, he slouches a bit again, trying to act casual. “Creepy how?”

 

“Just..” She keeps her eyes on the plate in her hands. “Flirting too much and making inappropriate complements” Juliet looks up at him. “Plus I think he’s at least 60”

 

“Oh,” James relaxes and cracks a smile.

  
”He was here last year too and did the same thing. He’s harmless, it’s just uncomfortable” Juliet shrugs and puts a plate away. That doesn’t make it okay, that he’s harmless. If he’s making her uncomfortable, he should know to stop. James doesn’t say this, but he regains the feeling of wanting to punch the guy.

 

“So you’d rather be doing dishes with me?” He says instead, to change the subject.

 

“Any day” She smiles, while James tries to tame the smile on his own lips.

 

“Well, you’re always welcome to do my dishes”

 

Juliet laughs shortly. “Thanks?”

 

They’re quite a while after that, but it’s a comfortable silence. Until James looks up and notices that the catering people have stopped coming in and picking up the clean plates. He can tell by the fact that they’re alone and have been so for a while, and by the ever-growing stack of plates next to Juliet. “I think we’re done”

 

Juliet looks up and around. “Oh.. right” She put away the towel as James lets the soapy water out of the sink and dries off his hands. “Do you think they saved any dessert for us?”

 

“Probably not” James doesn’t mean to be a party-pooper, but it is dessert after all.

 

“Let’s go look anyway” Juliet grabs her purse and leads the way. James has to fold down the sleeves of his shirt and put the jacket of his tux back on before he follows her. The first two courses had been served at the tables, but since the music started playing after the main course and people started mingling, the dessert is a buffet thing.  
It’s a surprise to at least James when it turns out that there is actually something left. And not just of the cake that looks a bit dry, but pretty much a bit of everything.

 

Juliet looks at him with a smile, James just shrugs in reply, but also with a smile of his own. They both grab one of the plates they have just cleaned and start putting this and that on it. Juliet puts mostly fruit on her plate until he spots her taking a big scoop of the chocolate ice cream. He is glad that she doesn’t seem to be one of those women, who will only eat salads.

 

“I wondered where you had gotten to” A voice comes from across the buffet table, just as James is serving himself a slice of pie. He looks up, first to Juliet, who doesn’t look happy to see whoever it is. Looking across the table, he sees an older, but certainly not old, man, with long dark brown hair, leaning against a cane. His eyes are only on Juliet, James is pretty sure he hasn’t even noticed him.

 

“We had a crisis to see to” Juliet smiles, polite as ever.

 

“We?” The man asks, proving James’ suspicion.

 

“James and I” Juliet replies, gesturing towards James. He takes it as a cue and takes a few steps closer to her. “James, this is Mr. Gold, Mr. Gold, this is James”

 

James makes sure to reach out a hand before the other man has a chance to do so. “Pleasure” He smiles, as the other man takes his hand. All he gets in return is a stiff smile, much colder than the ones he gives Juliet. Slimy bastard. James has no trouble seeing why Juliet feels uncomfortable, with him flirting with her. When he leans back from the handshake, he places his free hand at the small of Juliet’s back. He knows that Juliet deserves much better than him, but she certainly also deserves much better than this creep. And if he can help her scare him off, then he will.

 

Juliet seems surprised for about a glimpse of a second before she plays along and leans into the touch. It makes James smile, as he looks back to the older male. “You were looking for Juliet?” He asks curiously. His hand snakes around Juliet’s back, finding rest on her hip and pulling her a bit closer, so she’s pressed up against his side, as he looks at her with a flirtatious smile, purposely letting his eyes linger at her lips before he looks back to Mr. Gold. It’s only slightly unsettling that this only feels like half an act. It feels good, to have her pressed into his side like this, so close that he can smell her perfume and close enough so that he has to stop himself, from leaning closer and capturing her slender lips with his.

 

But it’s all worth it when he’s met by a slightly repulsed look, on Mr Gold’s face. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking, but that’s how James interprets it. There is definitely a frown there, that much is obvious. “No no, I just noticed that she was gone, that’s all” It’s clearly not all. “But I’ll leave you to it” The look he gives James before he turns to leave, is anything but friendly. James doesn’t care, he’s just glad Juliet won’t have to deal with him anymore tonight.

 

As soon as he is out of sight, James lets his arm fall from her waist and takes a step back. “You didn’t have to do that” Juliet says, looking at him.

 

“You were right, that guy’s a creep” He just says in reply, with a light shrug.

 

“I could have handled him”

 

“I’m sure you could, but this way was much faster” James smirks.

 

Juliet shakes her head at him, with a soft smile. “But now you’re stuck with me for the rest of the night” James wouldn’t say he was stuck with her, but he supposes she’s right. If Mr. Gold isn’t going to return, they have to make it look like they’re a couple. What a shame.. not.

 

“How will I ever survive?” He jokes with a crooked smile. She just smiles in reply, her blue eyes meeting his for a moment before they pick up their plates and head to a table with a few empty chairs.

 

Once they’re seated and have started eating their dessert, Juliet looks to him and says a sincere “Thank you” Eyes resting in his once again.

 

James smiles back warmly “Anytime” He means that but just how much, he won’t say.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina reunites with a couple of her friends, as she tries to settle into her new town. 
> 
> James cooks dinner for his daughter.

“Shoot! Shoot you idiot!” The whole pub is on their feet and almost everyone is shouting ‘shoot’ or something like it. The ones that aren’t are yelling for the defense to get their act together. Watching soccer at the pub is never boring, that’s for sure. Robin and several others curse the team, when they don’t score. It takes a few moments before Robin and his friends are back in their seats, sipping their beers, but still bitching about the game.

 

The pub is small, which is something that Robin likes about it. Pubs should be small, it’s one of the main characteristics of a pub. This is a British pub, so anyone with any kind of British heritage like to come here. Either that or just people who see themselves as anglophiles. Whatever it is, there’s normally a great atmosphere in here. Tonight is no exception, the whole pub is buzzing with talk of the game. It’s an important one, it’s the semi finale.

 

It isn’t until the talk has died down, that Robin notices the low chuckle of a woman, not far behind him. The noise is familiar, but he doesn’t dare to believe that it is, who he thinks it is. It isn’t until she says “Some things never change” that he turns and locks eyes with her. She looks older, hell, it’s been 9 years since he last saw her. It would be odd if she hadn’t changed at all. In reality he knows that she was at Marian’s funeral, but he doesn’t remember much from that day at all. He only faintly recalls the people that were there, bits and pieces from the ceremony, but mostly it’s just a blur. Juliet had arranged it all, with no help from him, apart from the occasional nod or shake of the head.   
But it’s in a good way, that she looks older. Regina doesn’t look old, just mature, like he hopes he does himself. She still looks as stunning as she ever did, with her dark eyes and dark brown hair, which is longer than he remembers it.

 

“Regina” Robin smiles, as he steps around the other tables and chairs, closer to her. He doesn’t even think about approaching her, it happens like some kind of instinct deep in him. Like a moth to a flame. He stops right in front of her, hesitating for a moment, as he takes in her face and all the small changes time has made to her. His smile widens as he takes one final step closer and folds his arms around her much smaller frame. It isn’t until he’s standing there, breathing her in, that his heart clenches in his chest, as he realizes that she’s really here and just how much he has missed her. When she left for LA, he took it harder than he thought he would. It was her choice, her life and he was going to accept that. And yet he had showed up at her door practically begging her to stay. Kissing her in a way he probably shouldn’t have. He had poured out his heart to her and she left anyway. Maybe he should have been angry about it, but he wasn’t, he was just hurt. That was all 20 years ago now, a thing of the past. But she still held a very special place in his heart.

 

It starts out as a friendly hug, but once he’s there, he can’t stop himself from burying his nose and one of his hands, in her loose hair, while pulling her closer with his other arm. When he feels her fingers digging into his shirt, he relaxes, knowing that it isn’t uncomfortable for her. She has never seemed to feel uncomfortable around him before, but it has been 9 years after all. Things could have changed.  
The last time he remembers seeing her, she was married and as far as he could tell, she was happy. Hell, the last time he talked to her, he was getting married. So he was pretty caught up in his own happiness, although seeing her there had made him pause. Seeing her happy with someone else, had been bittersweet. Robin was glad that she was happy, but he couldn’t kill the feeling, that he ought to be the one who made her happy. Even after marrying Marian, he still couldn’t kill that feeling. Maybe it was a good thing, that they had lived so far apart, while Marian lived.

 

With their timing, she’s bound to still be married, they never seemed to have good timing. When they finally part from the hug, he stays close to her, although the hug alone was enough to make some people look at them. Mostly Robin’s friends. “What are you doing in DC?” Robin asks, staring at her with wonder and happiness written all over his face. To be honest, he’s feeling quite giggly and why shouldn’t he be? She’s here in DC!

 

“I just moved here, last week” she smiles a bit, moving a lock of hair behind her ear.

 

“How come?” Not that he’s complaining, definitely not. But she’s been living in LA for the past 20 years. It seems odd to suddenly move across the country for no reason. There must be a reason.

 

“My dad had a fall, broke his hip. And after the divorce went through I ..” She sighs and frowns for a moment, like even mentioning the divorce hurts her. He only catches it, because he can’t take his eyes off her. And she always was an open book, he can tell she’s hurting. “I needed a change and coming back home seemed like a good idea. I can be closer to dad and help him, if he needs it.”

 

“You.. You got a divorce?” Robin tries to focus on the surprise and not on the part of him that perks up, ready to sow hope, where Robin thinks there shouldn’t be any. Hope can be a hurtful thing, Robin knows that all too well.  
He feels bad for being happy that she finally left Daniel. Even more so, after she basically flinched, just from mentioning it. It must still be very recent.

 

Regina nods, but looks puzzled. “A few months ago, yeah.. I told Juliet, I thought she would have told you”

 

Juliet has always been the protective older sister, he knows for a fact, that she and Regina stayed in touch for a long while, after she left DC. But she never told Robin what they talked about. Barely mentioned that she spoke to her at all. He knows Juliet only has good intentions, and that would be why she didn’t tell him. But he’s still a bit miffed, that she didn’t tell him. It’s been years and he’s a grown man, he can handle that kind of information.  
“She didn’t” Robin shrugs, wondering why she and Daniel got divorced and who wanted it. “I’m sorry” He means that. Not for Daniel, really, he never did like him much. But for Regina. He would never wish for anything that might cause her pain. Even if it would make him happy.  
When someone bumps into Robin, he reaches out to Regina and guides her away from the main path, towards the bar.

 

Being moved like that, means Regina doesn’t get to reply. But she doesn’t seem to mind, what was she supposed to say anyway?  
The buzz in the pub goes up again, when the ball goes somewhere near the goal. Robin turns to look, only to see the team who isn’t his, score a goal. He frowns for a moment, before he looks back to Regina. Suddenly the game doesn’t really matter. Although he had been looking forward to it all week, before he laid eyes on her. “Would you mind getting out of here... get some coffee maybe?” Regina asks, the brown of her eyes resting on him, insecure like she thinks he might want to stay to watch the game.

 

It’s an important game, Robin knows this. But right now, he really can’t bring himself to care. He hasn’t seen Regina for 9 years. So obviously spending time with her, is far more important than watching some soccer game. He’s sure the others will let him know how it ends. “Yeah of course, I’ll just get my coat” Robin gives her a reassuring smile, before he goes back to his table, excusing himself and getting his coat.

 

A few minutes later, they’re out in the, surprisingly chilly, early October night. Robin is glad that he decided to wear a scarf, or he might have had a sore throat tomorrow.  
For a while they walk in silence. They have so much to catch up on, that Robin doesn’t even know where to start. But he figures that starting with the divorce, might not be the best idea, if she’s still so affected by it. “So.. what happened to your dad? How did he fall?”

 

Regina buttons the top of her coat and pulls her scarf a bit tighter around her neck, before she looks at him, with a small smile. “Bowling”

 

“Bowling?” Robin asks, no need to feign surprise at all. That was probably the last thing he expected her to say.

 

Her smile widens as she nods, the kind of smile that reaches her eyes and makes her look painfully stunning. “I know, it’s so not like him. But apparently there’s this woman in his neighborhood that he’s trying to impress”

 

“And she likes bowling?”

 

“She likes bowling” Regina confirms, still smiling. And god it’s good to see her smile. He can imagine that she’s going through a tough time, with the divorce and the move and all that. But at least she still smiles. “He’s happy and after my mother, he should get to be happy”

 

Robin nods. He knows her mother and she’s not an easy woman to handle. Henry deserves kudos for putting up with her, as long as he did. Before he left her, with the help of his daughters. “Good for him – not the hip thing, but the .. girlfriend?”

 

“She visited him in the hospital, so he must have made some kind of impression” Her breath is white, as is his. It’s like as soon as the calendar turned to October, nature decided to skip autumn and go straight into winter. It certainly feels that way tonight.

 

“Good for him” Robin smiles, as they stroll down the sidewalk.

 

“Yeah” Regina worries her lower lip between her teeth. Even though it’s been 20 years since she lived here, and they spent time together regularly, he can still remember her body language.

 

So he reaches out and places a hand on the small of her back. “Are you okay?” She takes a deep breath and he swears he can feel her tremble as she does. When she looks at him, she shakes her head softly.

 

She tries to keep walking, but Robin stops. “Hey, hey.. come here” He opens his arms and after a second’s hesitation, she steps into them, putting her arms around his waist. Folding his arms around her, Regina rests her head against his shoulder, facing his neck, like she used to do. All in all it feels very familiar and he relishes in it, that despite the long time apart, it can still feel like this.  
Holding her close, he strokes a hand slowly, up and down her back, as he asks “What happened, Regina?”

 

“I don’t know..” Her voice is quiet, but wet with tears. Robin can’t see her face, but it doesn’t take much imagination to picture the tears in her eyes. “One day he just .. didn’t love me anymore”  
Robin’s frown deepens as she speaks. He wonders if there’s more to the story than that, or if Daniel is just that big of a jerk. He and Daniel never did get along. Robin was civilized to him, because Regina liked him. But honestly, he never liked him. But he’s not going to tell Regina that. Not now. She doesn’t need him to say ‘I knew it’. No, she needs the supportive friend he used to be, the one he wants to be again.

 

So he just holds her close and keeps stroking her back. “He must have lost his mind” Robin says with a slight smirk, when Regina has calmed a bit. It’s probably for the best that she can’t see him though, he’s not sure that she would approve of the smirk.  
It’s been years, but being with her feels a bit like riding a bike, like they could just go right back to how they had been. Like nothing had changed in the past 20 years. With some people, you just lose touch and it’s obvious whenever you see them. But with others it’s like no time has passed at all. And Robin is happy to say, that with Regina, it’s like no time has passed at all. Even though they’ve been apart for about five times as long as they have been together.

 

Regina lifts a hand to her face, he can’t see if she’s wiping her cheeks, or moving her hair around. But when she speaks, she sounds calmer. And the hug feels lighter, when her arm returns to rest around his torso. “I missed you”

 

“I missed you too” He really, really did. But now she’s here, that is the thing to focus on. Robin gives her one final squeeze, before he lets her go. “Now.. Coffee?”

 

When she looks up at him, there as soft smile on her lips. It’s small, but it’s definitely there. “Coffee” she agrees and turns, so they can walk again.

 

They walk for a while, more or less in silence. Mostly talking about where they want to go for coffee. And what used to be here and there. For Regina it must be like seeing the town for the first time, all over again. Not a lot is the same as it was when she left. In a town like Washington, things change all the time.  
After a while, they find a small café that hasn’t closed up yet. They take a seat by a small table by the window, making sure to order coffee before they sit.  
Robin smiles as they’ve both shrugged out of their coats and are sitting face to face, for the first time in forever. It feels odd, like something out of a dream, he can’t quite make himself believe it.

 

It doesn’t help, when she looks up to meet his eyes, with a smile on her lips. They haven’t aged a day, her eyes. Except for the weight he can see in them, and the charming hint of crow’s-feet in the corners of her eyes. He likes those though. They are proof that she laughed, that she was happy, even if it didn’t last. She is beautiful, age has treated her like fine wine and only made her more stunning. Taken her from the young girl he met, to this grown woman. His heart aches with her beauty and his fingers itch to reach out and touch her. But her need for space and time is greater than his need to touch her. So he restrains himself, well at least his hands, his eyes are beyond his control.

 

“How’s Mary Margaret?”

 

Their coffee arrives and it makes a pause in the conversation. Once the waitress has left them, Regina picks it back up. “She’s good, so is David. Their daughter Emma is 3 now and they’re expecting their second child”

 

“Wow.. I haven’t seen her since.. Since your wedding. That’s great” She had been married then, at Regina’s wedding, but that was the first time that Robin met David. He seemed like a good man though. Mary was definitely happy. And two kids, that sounded idyllic. Good for her. Robin didn’t get to meet Regina’s sister that many times, in the past. Juliet did, but he didn’t. But what he knows of her and with what Juliet has told him. Mary Margaret is a genuinely nice woman, so he knows she deserves as much happiness as she can get. Just like Regina and her father do.

 

“Are they still living in DC?” As far as Robin remembers, Mary Margaret had said that they lived in the area still. But that was a long time ago.

 

“Not exactly. They bought a farm an hour outside the city, they’re still there now.” Regina pauses to sip her coffee. “They have been for .. 8 years now I think.”

 

Robin nods around a mouthful of coffee. “And David’s a …” He can’t remember what he said he did. There were a lot of introductions done that day.

 

“Veterinarian” Regina helps, watching him with a small smile.

 

“Right” That definitely rings a bell. Robin knows Mary Margaret is an elementary school teacher. It doesn’t take much imagination to imagine her on a farm with a couple of kids. It seems like the type of life she would want.

 

“How’s Roland?” She asks in return, lifting her cup to her crimson lips.

 

Robin is impressed that she even remembers his name. He knows that Juliet shares a lot of pictures of them on instagram and twitter. And so does he, from time to time anyway. So she could have seen him mentioned often enough, but still. Robin can’t imagine Regina stalking any of them, on any of those things. “He’s good. He’s turning four this month and he’s very excited about it”

 

“I bet Juliet is throwing him a big party” Regina smiles over her cup.

 

“I am involved too, but yes, she is the main planner.” Robin nods with a smile of his own. Juliet always likes to spoil the kids. And with something like a birthday, she likes to do something special, like their mom used to do for them. Their mom would have spoiled Roland, just like she did with Maddie. But she died before she ever got to meet her grandson. “She likes to spoil him” he smiles. “Not in a materialistic way just .. She’s good with him, I suppose it’s just in a motherly way.” He doesn’t know, he only got to see Juliet with him, not Marian. And he saw Juliet with Maddie too. So either she likes to spoil kids, or it’s just a motherly thing. Probably the latter, as he has never seen her spoil kids that weren’t hers. Apart from Charlie of course.

 

“I can imagine that. She has a very strong caretaker gene”

 

“That she does” He can’t even begin to count the number of times, that Juliet has in one way or another, taken care of him, as well as Roland. Going all the way back to when they were kids. When their mother was off at work and Robin was sick, Juliet was the one to nurse him back to health. He remembers one time when she sat with him for hours, watching cartoons, bathing his forehead with a damp cloth. He had been really sick that time and their mom wanted to stay home from work. But somehow Juliet had convinced her to go, because she could take care of him. And she had. So much more than that one time. “You should come.. To the party. Catch up with Juliet and meet Roland”

 

Regina looks surprised, maybe even shocked. “Oh I .. Are you sure?”

 

“Of course” He smiles “Why not?” Sipping his coffee, Robin keeps his eyes on her. “Unless you don’t want to spend the day with twenty screaming kids”

 

That has her smiling and doing a slight roll of her eyes “Well, who wouldn’t want that?”

 

“The house is gonna be a mess, but Roland will be happy, that’s the main thing” Robin knows that it will be a great day, but at the same time, he dreads it a bit. Twenty kids high on sugar, running amok around the house. Not to mention all the cleaning up. It’s going to be exhausting and he wouldn’t blame Regina at all, if she would prefer not to go.  
Grabbing the napkin that arrived with his coffee, and a pen from his pocket, he writes down his phone number and pushes it across the table, to Regina. “I understand if you don’t want to go. Believe me, even I’m considering going into hiding for the day. But in case you decide that you do want to come. Call me” Robin smiles a bit, finishing his coffee. “Even if you don’t want to go, give me a call.. Let’s not let it be another twenty years”

 

“It won’t be” She promises, fiddling a bit with the napkin.

 

Robin didn’t think that it would be, even if she didn’t call him, he would go and find her, one way or another. “Good” He watches her, as she drinks the last of her coffee. “Ready to go?” Regina nods and gets up from her seat. Robin pays for the coffee and leaves a tip too, and before long they’re out on the street again.

 

They walk mostly in silence, enjoying the quiet of the city. Well, as silent as a city can be. When the sidewalk narrows and they’re forced to walk closer to each other, Robin’s hand brushes up against Regina’s. And he’s surprised when she takes the opportunity to take his hand. She doesn’t make a fuss about it, just glances at him, with a soft smile on her lips, as she keeps walking. Neither of them are wearing gloves and he can feel the warmth of her palm against his, although her fingers are slightly cold. But so are his. Robin’s stomach does a flip and he can’t stop himself from grinning into the cool evening air.

 

They stop in front of a sandstone apartment building “This is me” Regina says, turning to face him. Her hand is still in his and Robin doesn’t want to let go of it. Not quite yet. So he keeps a hold of it, letting his eyes settle on it, as his thumb strokes back and forth across her knuckles. When he lifts her hand to his lips and presses a tender kiss to her skin, he hears her take in a surprised breath of air and he immediately wonders if he has just messed it all up.

 

His eyes lift to her face, watching her for any sign of rejection, wondering if she will leave him here, feeling like an idiot for rushing things. When she pulls away her hand, Robin starts to think that he has really just made a wrong move. He is almost about to apologize, when she takes a step towards him, instead of away like he had expected. Holding his breath, he watches as she uses her recently freed hand, to cup his face and look back at him, with wonder in her eyes. For once Robin can’t decipher what she’s thinking. But he finds himself just staring right back at her, letting out a shaky breath that steams up the air between them, for a moment.  
Her thumb swipes across his chin, before she takes him by surprise, when she leans in and captures his lips with hers.  
It isn’t their first kiss. No, there were a few kisses before this one, desperate and mostly drunk kisses, which were either met with equal desperation or a slap to the face. But this time it’s different. In some ways at least. They are both unattached, but Regina is just regaining her footing, from what seems to have been a difficult divorce, at least on her part.  
Robin gave up hope long ago, that he and Regina would ever have the chance to be more than friends. They had both gotten married after all and Robin loved Marian, deeply and truly. Now it seems that fate might be kind to them, for once. But he can’t push her, he doesn’t want to.  
So when she is the one leaning in, Robin’s heart does a little happy dance, as he entangles his fingers in her hair, while his lips softly gets reacquainted with hers. Regina’s fingers curl against his jaw and into his coat, as Robin places his free arm around her torso, gently pulling her closer.

 

It’s Regina who ends the kiss. But thankfully not in a sudden way, that might make it look like she regretted it. Her lips just softly slide away from his, but when Robin opens his eyes, her brow is resting against his. She seemingly doesn’t want to part just yet either. “When did you say Roland’s party was?” She asks sweetly.

 

Robin chuckles at that, smiling like an idiot and tightens his arm around her waist, swaying her softly back and forth, like they’re dancing, although there’s no music. Although Robin’s heart could easily play out a melody, all on its own. “His birthday is the 12th, but the party is this Saturday” God he could kiss her against right now. If he had his way, he would never stop kissing her, least of all when she’s smiling like that.

 

“Good.. That’s soon” She bites her lower lip for a moment, while she looks at him. It makes his stomach flip once again and makes him want to do all sorts of sinful things to her.

 

He settles for a kiss to the corner of her mouth, “Not soon enough”

 

“Now you’re being greedy” She smiles

 

Robin just shrugs. “I think after two decades, I have the right to be a bit greedy”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Taking care of a kid, isn’t exactly second nature to James. It isn’t something that he had ever planned on doing. With the way life had been going up until about 5 years ago, he wasn’t really the type of guy you’d marry and have kids with. In many ways, he still doesn’t think that he is. Even if he has a steady, and legal, job now. And he is getting to know his kid too. He wouldn’t call himself a dad, least of all a good dad, but he’s trying, that has to count for something.

 

Cassidy’s house is big and new. Taunting him, with all its pricy things, letting him know how much better off Cassidy is without him. How unworthy he is of both her and Clementine. But somehow, he has managed to talk Cassidy into letting him see her. Which has now developed into letting him babysit once in a while. It was a big step for him. The only downside is that Cassidy has made him her go-to guy, in last minute cases, when she needs someone to watch Clem. It means he gets to see her more, but it’s hard to just jump when she tells him to. And he doesn’t like it either, that she has control like this. But for the moment he doesn’t have much of a choice. If he doesn’t play by her rules, he doesn’t get to see Clem. And as much as he is sure he’s going to screw up being her dad, he also knows that having any parent, is better than having none.

 

“Alright kiddo, what should we make for dinner?” Wandering into the kitchen, James opens the fridge and looks around to see what’s there. More than what is in his fridge, that’s for sure.

 

“Mom was going to make something with a fish” Clem says, following him into the kitchen, in her too-big, colorful t-shirt, her cap turned sideways, and the sneakers she insists on wearing indoors. For some reason, his daughter has a fascination with hip hop. At least the style and the dance moves. He’s not sure what came first, but he knows that she enjoys the dance lessons she’s taking once a week. It’s almost all she ever talks about.

 

James grunts and pulls a face of slight disgust, when he looks at Clem, he can’t help but smile, when he sees the exact same expression on her face. “How about we do something else?” He asks with a slight grin. Clem nods eagerly, mirroring the same grin.  
“Question is .. what?” He knows that Cassidy will probably kill him, if he orders take-away .. again. So that’s off the table.

 

“Spaghetti?” Clem suggests, tilting her face at him.

 

He nods, pondering, leaning in over the kitchen counter, down to Clem. “Spaghetti annnd?”

 

She pulls a thoughtful face, complete with a hand under her chin. “Annnd sauce?”

 

“What kind of sauce?”

 

“Tomato” This she’s determined on, that much he can tell.

 

“Uhm.. right” Cooking has never been his strong side, he’s more a frozen dinner kind of person. But anyone can do spaghetti, right? “Do you know how to make tomato sauce?”

 

Clem shakes her head slowly, but looks amused, like she has never seen a clueless adult before. Lifting her from the floor, James sits her on the kitchen counter. “Alright, you can help me make it then.” James slams his hands together, trying to gain some momentum, before he starts. Not that he has any clue what he’s doing. Then he starts opening cabinets to find a couple of pots and whatever they would need for the sauce. “So what do we need then?”

 

“Tomatoes” Clem suggests and James nods, finding a can of peeled tomatoes.

 

“Onions, garlic” James picks them out and places them on the counter. Those are pretty basic, even he knows they go in tomato sauce. “And..” He looks to Clem, who just shrugs. “Improvisation it is”

 

“What does that mean?” Clem looks at him, her legs slowly swinging back and forth, banging softly against the cupboard below her.

 

“It means, to make things up as you go along” He explains patiently, but with a smile. Just glad that there’s some things that he can teach Clem, even if he did drop out of 9th grade.

 

“Oh .. you really can’t cook”

 

James laughs at that “I really can’t. But maybe I can learn”

 

“Can you teach me too?”

 

James would be the first to admit, that he was surprised over how well Clem was taking all this. Having a strange man show up and claim to be her dad. He could only imagine what kind of things her mom would have told her about him. But she had taken to him, like she had longed to have a dad. And maybe she had, but god knew that she deserved better than him.  
But having her ask him to teach her something, was more than he had expected. So he smiled. Despite not knowing anything about cooking, he was already determined to get better, if only so he could teach her. Plus cooking her good, healthy, food would score him some points with Cassidy.  
“Tell you what. How about we learn it together?”

 

“How do we do that?”

 

“Well.. If this turns out to taste awful, at least we know one way _not_ to make a tomato sauce”

 

Clem giggles at that. “Okay” She agrees with a smile, that makes something warm flutter in his chest. Maybe it’s pride, or maybe he’s falling in love with his daughter.

 

~*~*~*~*~ 

 

Two days later, thoughts of Robin are still hanging around her head. His hand in her hair, the brightness of his smile, his lips. He makes it hard for her to concentrate, even when he’s not around. Regina can’t help but feel like she’s been set back twenty years, to her college years. Back when she had a crush on him, but he was the one who was with someone else. She knows it’s too soon to get involved with someone new, even if that someone is someone she knows as well, as she knows Robin. But at the same time, she doesn’t regret having kissed him, just a few nights ago. The attraction is still there, whenever she’s around him. And in her vulnerable state, she simply can’t stay away, from the comfort she gets from his embrace. Whether or not that’s a bad thing or not, only time will tell.

 

For now, Regina knows there is one person that she has to see, before Saturday. By now, Robin has probably told her, what happened, or at least that he saw her. And since Juliet is the one that she stayed in touch with the most, of the two, it seems wrong to not go and see her, before the birthday party.

 

It’s surprisingly easy to find her way back to Georgetown, considering how many years it’s been, since she’s been back. Finding Juliet’s office though, is quite a bit harder. She knows which part of the campus it should be in, but the buildings there are foreign to her. Regina walks around the place for about twenty minutes, before she finally decides to ask a random student for help. After that, it’s relatively easy to find. And soon Regina’s heels are clicking against the stone floors, the sounds echoing up against the tall ceilings of the hallway. Leading her right up to the wooden door, with the glass window, that has Juliet’s name written on it. Regina smiles at the sight, thinking back on one particular night, when they had had a bit too much to drink, for a school night. And had talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. She remembers Juliet say that she hoped to work as a teacher and have an office with her name on the door.

 

Since the door is slightly ajar, Regina carefully pushes it open. What she sees, when she does, doesn’t surprise her at all. Juliet is sitting at her desk, scribbling away at something. Not much different from what she did, when they were at college. She looks focused and determined, like she’s at an exam. At least that’s what Regina would think, if she didn’t know, that Juliet always looks that focused, when she’s working. Whether it’s just the daily studying or it actually is an exam.  
Tapping her knuckles lightly against the glass, Regina smiles as Juliet looks up from her work. The look on the blonde’s face, changes from concentration to surprise and joy, when she spots Regina. And she smiles, one of her characteristic grins, that even makes her eyes smile. “Regina!” She greets her and gets up from her chair, to round her desk and pull her into a warm hug.

 

Regina smiles into it “It’s good to see you”

 

Juliet chuckles, holding her a bit tighter, before letting go. She keeps her hands on Regina’s upper arms, as she says “It’s good to see you too. Robin told me you were back in town”

 

Regina knew that Juliet would probably already know what happened. But still, she feels heat spread in her cheeks, as she looks away. “He told you then?”

 

“Of course he did” Juliet smiles “He’s over the moon, to have you back in town.. And so am I” she says, as she finally lets her hands fall off of Regina’s arms.

 

 Regina can’t help but wonder, if that means he told her about the kiss or not. Would Juliet mention it, if he had? She knows Juliet cares a lot about her brother and she will always take his side, including if Regina and Robin got into a relationship and things didn’t work out. She wouldn’t just lose Robin as a friend, she would lose Juliet too. That is a scary thought and with their past, she wouldn’t blame Juliet, if she wouldn’t be completely happy about the kiss. Neither of them want Robin to get hurt again, but Juliet probably least of all. “Are you free to go for a coffee?”

 

“Yeah, just let me finish this” Juliet walks back to her desk and sits back down to finish the scribbles she was working on.  
While Juliet works on that, Regina takes the chance to take a closer look around her office. Like she had thought it would be, the wall opposite the window, is lined with bookcases, filled with everything from the classics to current bestsellers. And quite a few books that Regina has never even heard of. In between all the books, in the few free spaces, there are pictures of who she guesses is Maddie, Roland, and she recognizes Robin and their mother. As her eyes wander, she even spots a picture of herself and Juliet, from a summer when they went to a music festival. She can’t help but laugh at the picture of the two of them, sunburned and drunk, looking like a pair of hippies. “I can’t believe you have this on display” She chuckles, picking up the picture and showing it to Juliet.

 

Juliet looks up with an instant smile on her lips. “It’s a great picture” She argues, “And it’s a good memory of a great summer.” Regina nods in agreement. It was a great summer, one of those summers you wished would never end.

 

“We did have a lot of fun” Regina smiles softly, thinking back on it. “We should have worn sunscreen though”

 

Juliet chuckles, “We really should.” Regina remembers a couple of nights, where the only reason she could lie down at all, on her burned shoulders, was because of the alcohol she had in her system. And despite all that, it had been a great summer. Putting back the picture, Regina looks around for another couple of moments, before Juliet puts down the pen and gets up. “There, let’s go”

 

The clouded weather has gotten darker, as the two women make their way outside. Regina pulls her scarf a bit closer around her, it might only be early October, but it is already getting colder by the day. The air is moist, like it’s already raining, although no drops have fallen yet. Regina and Juliet agree to go to the coffee shop on campus, so that if it starts to rain, they won’t have far to run, to get out of it.  
The café is in the same building as it was, when she and Juliet were students here. But that’s where the similarities end. Everything else has changed, the façade, the interior, the people, everything. Especially the menu, although that is a good thing. When she and Juliet were students, all that was really on the menu, was black coffee and some questionable cakes and sandwiches. The coffee was good, very strong, but it was common knowledge, to stay away from the food, unless you were very desperate.

 

Now the selection of food looks delicious, almost tempting Regina to buy something. “This place has really gotten a makeover”

 

“Probably more like two or three, since we were students” Juliet argues, as they get in line for coffee.

 

“Since when did we get so old?”

 

Juliet chuckles, reminding Regina of her kind spirit and her infectious laugh. “Relax, you don’t look a day over 30”

 

Regina smiles and rolls her eyes at Juliet. “Liar .. but thanks” She pretends to be vain, as she brushes her hair back. She does care about her looks, but not overly so. “And you don’t look a day over 43”

 

“I am 43!” Juliet gasps and places her hands at her sides.

 

“I know” Regina grins.

 

“Ugh, I hate you” Juliet says, still smiling though.

 

“No you don’t” Regina pulls her into a hug, chuckling as she does. “And you look gorgeous, as always, my friend” She can hear Juliet chuckle back, as she folds her arms around Regina’s waist.

 

“I missed you” Juliet says, shortly before pulling away “It’s good to have you back”

 

Regina smiles and can’t help but feel like she has come home, that this is where she’s meant to be. “It’s good to be back” And then it’s their turn to order.

 

Once they’re seated, the skies have broken and rain is falling heavily against the windows of the façade of the building. Regina and Juliet take a seat at the slim table that lines the window, on two of the barstools that line the table. Getting seated on them, is a bit awkward, but once they’re seated it’s very comfortable. And the view of the rainy street outside, is oddly calming, although the thought of going out into the rain, is definitely not.

 

“So ..” Juliet begins, “Robin mentioned that your divorce was finalized .. How are you doing?”

 

Regina keeps her eyes at her cup. She knew that this would be a topic they had to touch upon, but that doesn’t make it any easier. “I’m .. getting better, I think It’s all so new with the move and all that”

 

Juliet nods in understanding. She reaches out and puts her hand on top of Regina’s. “If you need anything, just ask. I know both Robin and I will want to help you, however we can.”

 

Regina nods softly, glancing at Juliet “I know” A small smile tugs at the corner of her mouth, because she knows that Robin will want to help her, should she ever need anything. And just the mention of him, makes her mind flash back to the last time she saw him. It must show, because Juliet looks at her, with a slightly tilted face, and the small smile on her lips, which Regina knows is her ‘resting face’.

 

“What?” She asks, blue eyes watching her closely.

 

“I.. When I ran into Robin I .. I kissed him” Regina decides to bite the bullet and just tell the truth. Juliet is bound to find out sooner or later, and if she doesn’t already know, Regina would want her to hear it from her. The smile on Juliet’s lips fades and her expression changes into something she can’t interpret. She definitely didn’t know. “Maybe I shouldn’t have” Regina sighs quietly and looks out the window again.

 

“Do you regret it?” There are so many things Juliet could have asked or said just then. Regina knows that she will be worried for Robin, that he will get himself hurt again. And honestly, she had thought that, that would be the first thing Juliet said something about. Instead she shows herself for the friend she is, and takes her side first. Although Regina is sure that they will get onto the other topic soon enough, where Juliet will get to show off her protective side.

 

She could say yes, because in a way, she wishes that she hadn’t done it, so that they hadn’t crossed that line. So Regina could pretend that they could just be friends. But at the same time, she can’t make herself regret it, because it was good. And despite everything, she wants it, whatever it is, and however unready she might be for it. “No.. I don’t “ Regina looks down for a moment, before she gathers up the courage to look at Juliet. “I just .. I’m not sure I’m ready and I just don’t want to hurt him” She looks back at the rain, before adding a quiet “again” Leaving him once was bad enough, but what if she gets in too deep, only to find out that she isn’t ready. What if that scares him off for good? What will she do then?

 

Regina can feel Juliet’s eyes on her, she hears her soft sigh, but when a moment or two goes by after, without her saying anything, Regina almost thinks that she’s not going to say anything.  
“Look, we both know that I don’t want Robin to get hurt again either. The last time he was a mess for a long time, after you left for LA. But he still…” Juliet sighs again, which makes Regina look at her, anxious for what she might say. “He still loves you, Regina. He never stopped. I don’t think he ever will”

 

“Maybe he should” She says quietly, looking down at her coffee. Regina regrets the words as soon as they leave her mouth. But if it would be better for him, maybe he should.

 

“Hey” Juliet reaches for her hand again, to make Regina look at her, which works. “Just be honest with him. He has already waited 20 years. He will wait for you, if you need time. Just tell him that.”

 

“You think so?”

 

Juliet’s smile is back when she says “I know him, he’s very patient. If he knows you want him too, he’ll wait forever”

 

“I don’t want him to wait forever.. I don’t want to wait forever either.” Hadn’t they already wasted enough time? 20 years. If Regina had known how things would go with Daniel, she might have chosen differently back then. And if she had, her life could have been so much different by now. “I just .. I don’t want to get in too deep, only to find out that I’m not ready” That would be bad, for the both of them. Robin might say he understood, but wouldn’t he be hurt anyway? “And I guess we could take things slow.. but we’ve known each other for so long, how much slower can we get?.. And then there’s Roland. I mean, it’s not just Robin and I, who would get used to each other. And how do you explain something like this to Roland?” Not to mention, what if she got attached to him too? Regina had longed for kids for such a long time now, how could she not fall in love, with a boy that was Robin’s? And if she did, and they got along, how hard wouldn’t it be to put on the brakes? If she suddenly felt the need to put some distance between them.

 

Juliet just watches her as she talks, sipping her coffee and looking far too calm. “Do you trust him?”

 

“Yes” Regina replies, without even hesitating, because she does. Robin is one of the few people in her life, that she knows she can always count on, and who always has her best interest at heart. He let her marry Daniel, for god’s sake, just because he wanted her to be happy.

 

“Then I guess the only question is, if you’re brave enough to trust him with your heart”

 

Regina looks from Juliet and out into the rain again, wondering if she is that brave, if she dares to trust Robin with everything.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://youtu.be/RgDvxah9c6o - for Robin and Regina

**Author's Note:**

> I just did all the editing in one day, so I could finally get this up. My fingers are dead. I hope you're all happy! :P


End file.
